"She knocked my socks off as the saying goes."

Tim Beck of Fayetteville still reflects on those first days when he met his wife Lisa at New Hope for Single Parents at New Hope Baptist Church.

Lisa, a real estate agent and single mom of two, was the original facilitator of the program under the direction of singles minister Scott Johnson.

It was, in fact, Johnson who mentioned to each of the Becks that they ought to meet one another.

"He said there's a lady named Lisa you should meet," Tim said. "If you all ever paired up you would make a great couple."

The Becks believe that is exactly what God had planned for them.

Lisa and Tim met in April 1995 at a singles function held at River's Edge Community Center. Lisa was there with her two boys and Tim, manager of Homebuilders Showcase in Fayetteville, with his two girls.

Tim was walking in from the beach area when he ran into Lisa.

"I said, 'You must be Tim Beck,' and as I walked away, I thought, 'This guy probably thinks I'm nuts," said Lisa.

Later, she said, Tim told her he knew from that moment she was the one.

It became obvious to Tim that Lisa shared his sentiments.

After only meeting once, Lisa helped Tim out of a dilemma.

"My truck had broken down and she offered her car to me so I could go pick up my girls," said Tim. "She said that it was really important. I was amazed that she would trust me like that."

The couple exchanged phone numbers that night and "after playing phone tag" for a while, they went on their first date.

"From the first date, we had our children with us," Lisa said.

In September, the couple was married and a year later they had their youngest son Joshua.

Tim and Lisa still support the Single Parents group, though they are now involved in the Blended Family Sunday School.

The New Hope for Single Parents group is really a support group according to Lisa. It is not designed to be a place to "bash the other sex" or a place to find dates.

In the Beck's case, you can call it God's will or just true love.

Lisa stresses that she was involved in the singles ministry at New Hope Baptist Church for years.

The Single Parents group, she said, is a place where issues facing singles parents can be dealt with, such as custody, financial support and more. The group is involved in Bible study and fellowship as well as social activities.

Tim and Lisa both say they are grateful they did meet at the church simply because they both share the same values and beliefs.

"We started off with the same core beliefs and that's what has kept us strong," Lisa said.

Tim also said that New Hope showed him that God can still heal us. Leaving a small church after his divorce in 1992, he said he felt "branded."

"It was really neat to that [the minister," could feel my pain," he said.

Tim said he has a special phrase that sums up what he feel about New Hope Baptist Church.

"There's no place like this place, so this must be the place."